VandalShyster and I received luggage tags at the wedding we attended last summer. I thought it was a practical gift but if I didn't get a favor it wouldn't have made me think the wedding was cheap or tacky.

Personally, I love wedding favors that you can eat. I do love chocolate, so I will take it no matter what the shape! I never leave the favors on the table, but mostly because I feel terrible doing that.

Our favors are going to be 4 oz jars of homeade jam. My FI makes the yummiest jam! Everyone we know loves it and people hoard it so that they always have some in the fridge. We know that if anyone does leave it on the table, there are some "vultures" who will scoop it up in an instant.

Fiance and I have chatted about this. We've pretty much decided that we're going to do chocolate from the little candy shop near him. It's an institution, and perhaps the *best* chocolate I've ever eaten. When I was in uni, he'd send me little sweets from there around finals and it always made me so happy. Plus, we're supporting a local business, which was important for us.

In terms of charity, dearest and I are going to do the IDo foundation registry. What you do is get a name on their website, then designate a charity (they give you a couple, or you can choose your own as long as you can prove its non-profit) and then go to any one of their linked retailers (Target, Linens and Things, etc) and create your registry. Whenever someone buys something off of your registry, a percentage of that purchase goes to the charity you've chosen. No fuss, no extra forms, nada. We're trying to chose between the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund or the WPA Humane Society or Animal Friends (which happens to be right next to our reception space).

We went the candy route. Yummy maple sugar candies in the shape of maple leaves. Fall wedding clearly :) We put 3 in a little favor box, closed with a ribbon and a leaf shaped tag with our monogram. I have a bazillion extras too!!

I was going to suggest teeny things of maple syrup but I keep forgetting how prohibitively expensive it's gotten.

What the heck with all this "bell" stuff? That's what silverware and glasses are for.

Definitely have the favor be something edible.

We were lame I guess-we just did match books with our names and date on it. We had sparklers at our wedding for when we left, so it correlated. Plus, I was trying to plan my wedding, graduate nursing school, and move across the country at the same time-so what favers we were going to have got the least amount of thought.

Yeah candies were the next best thing!

A lot of couples are having candy buffets at the end of the reception too with different kinds of candies to pick and choose from. So fun!

Fiance and I are tossing around the idea of a small jar of preserved peaches since we're getting married in GA but have also thought of silver wine stoppers. Little chocolates are a good idea too though.... and my mom wants to make these lamps she saw on Martha Stewart: picture a wine glass with a tea light in it and a vellum shade. They would serve as centerpieces/favors. Not sure I like the idea that much though... and am I the only one who thinks mirrors underneath candles looks kind of tacky...?

yeah, for real! However, I think this might be one of those "Pittsburgh" things. I've threatened to go for chopsticks and plastic cups to keep people from driving us nuts. All it takes is one wise guy.

I find this fascinating. I've been going to weddings for decades and had never even heard of the idea of favors until 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe its a regional thing. But to me they just seem like something the wedding consultant industry dreamed up -- kind of the nuptiul equivalent of a Hallmark Holiday. Something else to waste money on.

As for idea of charitable contributions, that seems nice and all, but I'm still flummoxed -- I've been invited to witness the exchange of vows (that is what it's all about, after all), I've been given my fill of good stuff to eat and drink, I may have danced, I've had a good time . . . . that's plenty! Why do the bride and groom need to give me a little gift (that I probably don't really want) or make a donation in my honor? I just don't get it.

I guess it's obvious we didn't have favors at our wedding?

My FI and I are doing rock candy in our wedding colors. One of the groomsmen has sworn to vigilantly pick up any rock candy left behind. :)

As for the donations thing, I'm really not a fan. Not that I'm against donating... I'm against donating and then telling everyone you know about what a great thing you just did. I think that should be more of a private thing. Additionally, there's no such thing as a charity without controversy... you really don't want a guest leaving offended because you donated to a charity that they're very much against.

I am with MC and others who have said not to spend too much time or especially money on favors. They fall under the same category of waste as the "save the date!" magnets in my book. Getting gifts for your bridal party/groomsmen is one thing (although from some of the other threads it sounds like those are getting ridiculously huge & expensive as well), but there's no need to give every person who comes to your reception a gift too. They've already eaten the food you've paid for, drank your bar dry and devoured the wedding cake you took hours to decide on and that it took days to make. Do they really need 3 candy-covered almonds wrapped up in tulle? (yes, got that one time)

Your wedding is about YOU and it's ok if YOU are the main recipient of gifts and spoils. You will spend hours writing thank you notes, that is usually enough for people.

I blame (as always) the wedding "industry" and the onslaught of online resources that found yet another "niche" to get advertisers and products to shill to overstressed brides with overstretched budgets that do not need ONE more thing to plan or buy or spend time making by hand to save $$ but still make a "showing".

/rant

Agreed, I think the whole industry is a "racket". Back when I was young a wedding was in a church and afterwards everyone went to the "fellowship hall" and had cake, punch, nuts and mints. Times have really changed. I've seen it go from just cake to finger sandwiches with crusts removed to full sit down dinners of filet and lobster.

No. I don't know what it is about candles and mirrors, but I think "cheap" everytime.

uh.....we are in Iowa :) so hardly "Pittsburgh" thought out here.

My daughter had a outdoor wedding/reception at a local lilac aboretum. She wanted a small ceremony and cake/punch reception immediately following.

The bells were painted cream and lilac with calla lillies and lilac clusters attached with lavender ribbon. They worked because the plates were a clear plastic and didn't clink :).